Philosophy

  • Read more: The Non-Identity Non-Problem
    Article

    The Non-Identity Non-Problem

    Taking on Derek Parfit, student fellow James Toomey argues ways that in some cases personhood will be indeterminate.

    Illustration of four figures sketching in a man
  • Read more: What can an 11th century Islamic philosopher teach us about 21st century neuroscience?
    Article

    What can an 11th century Islamic philosopher teach us about 21st century neuroscience?

    There is a lot of fascinating research about the brain coming out of Stanford University, with some exciting, cutting-edge work being done there. Early last month I reported on the findings made by neuroscientists at Stanford in understanding how mental rehearsal prepares our minds for real-world action. Today, I’ll outline the recent advances made by…

  • Read more: Bioethics in Islam: Principles, Perspectives, Comparisons
    Article

    Bioethics in Islam: Principles, Perspectives, Comparisons

    An important questions in Islam, recurrent across time and space, is whether Islamic political theory recognizes rights claims against the state as distinct from rights claims against other members of the community. This continues to be an important subject today, intersecting the fields of law, religion, and moral philosophy. The classical tradition is divided on…

  • Read more: What are Our Duties and Moral Responsibilities Toward Humans when Constructing AI?
    Article

    What are Our Duties and Moral Responsibilities Toward Humans when Constructing AI?

    Much of what we fear about artificial intelligence comes down to our underlying values and perception about life itself, as well as the place of the human in that life. The New Yorker cover last week was a telling example of the kind of dystopic societies we claim we wish to avoid. I say “claim”…

  • Read more: Religion, Health, and Medicine: the Dialectic of Embedded Social Systems
    Article

    Religion, Health, and Medicine: the Dialectic of Embedded Social Systems

    The philosopher in me understands that there are universal principles in logic, mathematics, and in basic scientific tenets such as the law of gravity. Be that as it may, the historian in me recognizes that we inherit epistemologies and ways of thinking from those before us, and from our own historical and cultural contexts. Certain…

  • Read more: Medicine and Ethics: Religious or Secular?
    Article

    Medicine and Ethics: Religious or Secular?

    By Yusuf Lenfest There is no lack of controversy when talking about religion and medicine in America today. Medicine is studied, practiced, and firmly rooted in the corporal world while religion draws inspiration from texts, traditions, and the incorporeal. Yet from an historical perspective, religious pasts do shape the present, particularly in the realm of…

  • Read more: Harvard HIP (High Impact Philanthropy): Toby Ord speaking tonight
    Article

    Harvard HIP (High Impact Philanthropy): Toby Ord speaking tonight

    Are you interested in foreign aid, global development, medicine? Want to know how philanthropy and charitable giving can do the most good? Aid Works (On Average) – By Toby Ord Tuesday, March 26th; Emerson Hall 108; 8 PM There is considerable controversy about whether foreign aid helps poor countries, with several prominent critics arguing that it doesn’t. Dr. Ord shows that…

  • Read more: Feb 28: Ruth Grant speaking to the HMS Division of Medical Ethics
    Article

    Feb 28: Ruth Grant speaking to the HMS Division of Medical Ethics

    Please join the HMS Division of Medical Ethics and Program in Ethics and Health for… “Strings Attached: Untangling the Ethics of Incentives” Ruth W. Grant, PhD Professor of Political Science and Philosophy, Duke University Thursday, February 28, 2013 12:00 – 1:15 PM HMS Division of Medical Ethics 1st Floor Conference Room 641 Huntington Avenue, Boston…